Nokia launches cheap and cheerful 100 and 101 feature phones

Nokia's recent troubles in the smartphone arena have been well documented, but it's a different story at the other end of the market, where Nokia is still far and away the number one player in the budget feature phone stakes.

And the reason for that is Nokia's ability to produce handsets such as the new 100 and 101, which deliver basic phone functions for as little as €20.

They've arrived on the scene largely unnoticed because of all the other phones Nokia has pushed out in the last week, but the 100 and 101 are significant arrivals all the same as Nokia seeks to protect its massive support base in developing markets.

The pair use the barebones Series 30 platform, and feature a 1.8in colour screen with a modest 160 x 128-pixel resolution.

The base 100 model gives you a decidedly modest feature set, with things lie an FM radio and a 3.5mm headphone jack qualifying as highlights.

Unsurprisingly, battery life as a real strength, with Nokia promising you as much as 35 days of battery life on standby.

The Nokia 101 is a more upmarket handset – though we use the term loosely. It throws in an on-board MP3 player, a microSD card slot and dual-SIM capabilities. The extra features sees standby battery life dropping to 25 days, however.

The 101 will be the first of the two to hit the market, and will cost in the region of €25 when it lands next month, while the 100 is expected closer to the end of the year, priced at €20.